Call him Harry
by GwenCThompson
Summary: My idea of why and how James and Lily Potter named their son Harry. One shot. JamesXLily implied. Cover by anxiouspineapples


It was the snoring that woke Lily up. She turned to her left glanced at the clock: _3:27 am_, the baby would need her soon. He was only a week old and they had already gotten into a pretty regular eating schedule. Lily looked to the right and realized why the snoring was louder than usual. There were two snoring males in her bed, not one.

In the August heat James had removed his shirt and their son lay sleeping on his bare chest. Lily took a moment to admire the two men she loved most in the entire world. It seemed that the baby had not only inherited his father's hair but also his snoring. As she had predicted the baby started fussing a few minutes later.

"Hush, hush, Mummy's here. I'm here." Lily gently lifted her child off her husband, trying not to wake him. She failed.

"What? Lily, give him here, I have him." James said, looking rather ridiculous as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Lily sat up and leant against the backboard. "He's hungry, James."

"Are you sure? I don't think you're getting enough sleep."

"I'll be fine." James looked at her skeptically. "I really will, I nap during the day anyway." She put a hand on his arm. "Go to sleep. You have those plans to go through for the Order anyway and you'll need your sleep if you want to think like a Death Eater."

James made a face and lay back down. Lily knew he disliked being locked up, only able to help the Order in planning phases, but he never complained. It wasn't about them anymore, it was about the baby.

James got out of bed, pushed his glasses onto his face and flicked on the lights.

Lily would have gotten up, but she didn't want to disturb the baby's eating. "James, where are you going?"

Her husband didn't respond and left the bedroom. A few minutes later he returned with a tall glass of water and set it on the table next to her. "Here, you get thirsty when you nurse."

Lily smiled, it was true; but she hadn't known James knew that. "Thank you."

James leaned down and kissed her. It was gentle, intimate and lingering. No matter how many times he kissed her, each one was unique experience of their love. Then he leant down further and planted a kiss on his son's head.

As James returned to his side of the bed he said, "We still have to name him, you know."

"I know." She sighed. The name had proven more difficult than Lily had first thought. She had never been the kind of girl who planned things like weddings and baby names a decade in advance. And then she and James had such different tastes in names they had decided to wait and see what the baby looked like before they named him. Unfortunately he looked so much like his father: born with a full head of messy black locks, the same nose, the same mouth, same everything that Lily was tempted to name him after his father. James had vetoed that option though saying, "We don't want to jinx him and have him turn into another me; that would send Lily off the edge."

"Padfoot will be along tomorrow for the Christening. We have to have a name by then." James commented.

"I know!" She said a little more harshly, the baby stirred and Lily lowered her voice. "Sorry. It's just, I'm still not sure. He'll have this name for the rest of his life! What if he hates it? I mean, I feel perfectly suited for Lily and you're obviously a James but did our parents know that or did we grow into our names? I had no idea naming a child would be this stressful."

James' eyes smiled and Lily knew he was laughing at her, but he was wise enough to keep silent. The baby had had his fill and Lily laid him in his back between them so they could get a good look at him.

"I know what you mean Lily. And I agree with what you said yesterday."

"What did I say yesterday?"

"About naming him for one of the fallen. I don't think I could do that unless we could name him for them all."

Lily nodded. "James, isn't he the most beautiful baby ever? I know every mum thinks this but I think I feel this a little more strongly than the other mothers do. Every time I look at him my heart melts and I feel like I don't deserve him and yet wouldn't trust him to _anyone _else. He's so perfect. And I want him to have the perfect name."

"He is perfect." James agreed, grinning crookedly. "We made him after all. You, a goddess among women and me, the greatest man to ever live, of course our son is perfection."

Lily rolled her eyes. Her husband's ego was annoying, but endearing. "I just wish I could consult with another Mum or Dad, y'know?" This was impossible though and Lily knew it. Her own mother died when she was a little girl and her father had passed about a year ago. Alice had given birth just one day before her. But the Longbottoms were also in hiding due to the prophecy and communication was impossible.

"He's a bit of a hairy baby though. Have you ever seen a newborn with a full head of hair?"

"Yes." Lily replied. "In photos of me, I had a full head of hair."

"Ah. I know we've gone over this but I still want to name him for _someone_. I always felt weird knowing that some people were named after a historical hero or some grand warlock or even their Dad's best friend and I was called James because Mum liked the sound of it."

"Agreed that the name should have some meaning but if that was an insinuation that we'll call him Sirius…"

"Are you kidding me? Padfoot's head is big enough as it is. Especially after we named him godfather."

They lay in silence for a few moments, both thinking until James broke the silence. "Well, I don't know if close to four in the morning is a good time to name a child though. We might do something stupid like call him Neville. What _was_ Frank thinking?"

"Remus said it was a family name, Frank's father or something like that." Suddenly, on the tip of her tongue was a name. And not just any name, _the_ name, the perfect name for their perfect little boy.

James moved to pick the baby up and Lily nearly tackled him. "Don't touch him, James, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough."

"Yeah, um, naming children at ungodly hours is definitely not a good idea. Lily, why don't you sleep on it? We can talk about this in the morning."

"It's morning now. Shut up I'm thinking!"

James backed off and Lily closed her eyes and went over their conversation in her mind again, the key to the baby's name lay there, she just knew it! Perfect child… her parents… hairy baby… Sirius – no, not Sirius… meaningful name… family name…

"Lily…"

"James, how could you? I was almost there!" Lily opened her eyes. The baby was gone, back in his own bed and James had taken off his glasses. A sure sign that he wanted the lights off.

"Sorry, but if it really is the perfect name it'll come back. But now I'm serious, go to sleep, you need it."

"But what if it doesn't come back James?!"

James flicked the lights off. "In that case we can always name him…"

"Don't say James, don't you dare…"

"… Elvendork."

"Gah!" Lily grabbed her pillow, whacked her husband over the head with it and then lay down. She really was tired, but the baby needed a name! She couldn't go on calling him 'baby' forever!

"Go to sleep, Lily." James whispered, reaching out to her.

Lily turned away from him. She was mad. The baby would be nameless and it was _his_ fault.

"Harry. We'll call him Harry. After my Dad."

"I told you you'd remember."

"Do you like it?"

"Harry Potter. It's nice. I like it."

"Harry _James _Potter?"

"Lily…"

"Please? I tell you what, you can name the next one whatever you like, I promise!"

"Even if it's Elvendork? After all it is unisex."

Lily rolled her eyes and nodded. Every now and again, James just needed to be humored. She had no doubt that he would remember this and her promise would come back to haunt her. But at the same time she had every confidence that she would not really mother an Elvendork.


End file.
